YOU’VE ARRIVED! SOLO

It was May 2023 while I sat at a high school graduation watching my third child accept her diploma that I had a realization. I had one more child with only one more year left of high school. I pondered my solo parent journey, “Where did all the time go?” It was just me and the Lord talking, and different memories just flashed in my mind, I was flooded with emotions, and I uttered, “Whew! What a wild ride.”  Being a roller coaster enthusiast, those were the only words I could think of that would even begin to describe my Solo Parenting Adventure.

Here I am a whole year later and my youngest child has just graduated high school and is planning college in the fall. I look back at all the trials and frustrations, those hard times that God got us through late-night visits to the emergency room, court battles, and times of financial unrest. God's glory has shown in tremendous triumph when we have needed him most. The constant Father my kids needed to be there when their biological father was not. Hard times may have been imminent, but they are not all we shared. We enjoyed family game nights, movie nights, hiking, rock collecting, swimming in the river, beach trips, and imaginary journeys around the world as a family of aspiring missionaries and safari explorers. All the BBQs, picnics, and scavenger hunts, and the list could go on for days of all the goodness God has allowed us to experience together.

Valuable time investment opportunities were waiting for me. Many I missed by wasting time thinking something else was more important at the time. But the moments I had to walk with them tell them stories and build a relationship with each child is precious time. Time quickly moves forward, and you can never get it back. Slow down, smell the roses, and walk this solo journey together. Enjoy each moment good or bad. God loves you and is with you every step of the way.